WATER RESOURCES
Water is essential to all life. Chatham County is blessed with an abundance of in water resources. Three
major rivers flow through Chatham – the Haw, Rocky, and Deep rivers – form the headwaters of the Cape Fear
River. The Cape Fear River begins in the county near the community of Moncure at the confluence of the Haw
River and the Deep River below Jordan Lake. Unfortunately the water quality of Chatham’s water resources is
threatened by increases in non point source pollution. The Cape Fear Basinwide Water Quality Plan from the
NC Division of Water Quality reports that many streams in Chatham are listed as degraded and not meeting
their intended uses of drinking water supply, swimming and recreation, and aquatic habitat.
SURFACE WATERS
All surface waters in North Carolina are assigned a primary classification by the NC Division of Water Quality
(DWQ). All waters must at least meet the standards for Class C (fishable / swimmable) waters. The other
primary classifications provide additional levels of protection for primary water contact recreation (Class B)
and drinking water (Water Supply Classes I through V).
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF PRIMARY SURFACE WATER CLASSIFICATION USED FOR
PIEDMONT WATERS (A full descriptions of classifications can be read in Appendix?)
W
S
V
:
B: Primary Recreation, Fresh Water
C: Aquatic Life, Secondary Recreation
CA: Critical Area
FWS: Future Water Supply Waters
HQW: High Quality Waters
NSW: Nutrient Sensitive Waters
ORW: Outstanding Resource Waters
SW: Swamp Waters
WS-I: Water Supply I - Natural
WS-II: Water Supply II - Undeveloped
WS-III: Water Supply III - Moderately Developed
WS-IV: Water Supply IV - Highly Developed
W
a
tThe NC DWQ has classified 136 stream sections in Chatham County. Of those 38 have been rated: 16 were
erated as “Supporting”, 22 were rated as “Impaired”. The other 98 (72 percent) classified streams are listed as
r“Unrated” primarily due to lack of data. Approximately 215 miles of streams and 14,916 acres of waterbodies
in Chatham County have been both classified and rated by DWQ. In the 1990’s, 4 streams in Chatham County
S(for a total of 15.7 miles) were classified as HQW, see Table X for name and location of HQW in Chatham. In
uthe 2010 303 (d) list, 81 miles and 5,112 acres were classified as impaired, see Table X for list of impaired
pstreams and waterbodies in Chatham County. A complete listing of all the streams that have been classified
pin this county is available in Appendix X.
l
y
V
–
How did these 4 streams get HQW classifications?
Table ? High Quality Waters in Chatham
Name
Cedar Creek
DEEP RIVER
East Branch Price Creek
West Branch Brice Creek
Location
From source to Deep River
From mouth of Big Governors Creek to NC 42 Carbonton
Dam
From source to a point 0.2 mile upstream of mouth
From source to a point 0.3 mile upstream of mouth
Stream
(Miles)
6.3
4
2.7
2.7
Designation
Year
1990
1998
1992
1992
The 303(d) list is a list of impaired waters that require a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The TMDL Program is a
Federal program authorized under the Clean Water Act to address waters that are not meeting water quality
standards. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still
meet water quality standards. The TMDL is then used to establish limits on sources of the pollutant which are
classified as either point sources (waste load allocation), and non point sources (load allocation). The TMDL must
account for seasonal variation in water quality and include a margin of safety to ensure that the TMDL allocations
will adequate to protect the body of water.
For the must current 303 (d) list can be obtained from the NC DWQ Planning website:
http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wq/ps/mtu/assessment
All the waters on the 2010 303 (d) list for Chatham are not meeting the aquatic life use category. All the streams
listed in Table X still require a TMDL for the parameter shown.
Table ? Impaired 303 (d) listed waters in Chatham
Freshwater
(Miles or
Name
Acres)
Bear Creek
2.0
Buckhorn Creek (Harris Lake)
4.3
CAPE FEAR RIVER
0.5
Dry Creek
10.1
Gulf Creek
3.0
HAW RIVER from Cane Crk. to Brooks
Br.
11.4
HAW RIVER downstream of Hwy 64
53.2
Robeson Creek Arm of Jordan Lake
47.0
Haw River Arm of Jordan Lake
1345.3
Jordan lake - Morgan Creek Arm
836.2
New Hope Creek Arm of Jordan Lake
1415.7
New Hope River Arm of Jordan Lake
1199.8
Loves Creek
6.2
Morgan Creek
4.1
Northeast Creek
6.5
Robeson Creek
3.3
Rocky River
6.7
Rocky River
190.0
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Parameter (Violation)
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Low Dissolved Oxygen
Chlorophyll a
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Ecological/biological Integrity FishCom
Designation
Year
2010
2010
2006
2006
1998
Turbidity
High pH
Turbidity
Turbidity
Turbidity
Turbidity
Turbidity
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Copper, Zinc,
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Low Dissolved Oxygen
Chlorophyll a
2010
2006
2006
2006
2008
2008
2008
1998
2000
2008
1998
2010
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Rocky River
Ferrells Creek
Terrells Creek
Tick Creek
24.3
7.6
6.7
8.2
Chlorophyll a
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Ecological/biological Integrity Benthos
Ecological/biological Integrity FishCom
2010
2010
2010
2006
Include description on TMDLs for Impaired Streams in Chatham County.
WATER SUPPLIES
Surface water provides for the majority of the water needs for populations in the Upper Cape Fear River Basin
(Basin 2 Cape Fear, State Water Supply Plan, Division of Water Resources, DENR, 2001). There are five primary
water surface resources used to meet the needs of approximately 25,523 people in Chatham County: the Jordan
Lake Reservoir, the Haw River above the Bynum, the Turner and Siler City Reservoirs on the Rocky River, the Deep
River, and the Cape Fear River above Buckhorn Dam.
Table ? lists the water classification and the source intake location for the water supplies in Chatham. The streams
in the upper Rocky River watershed are classified as Water Supply-III (WS-III) indicating these waters are protected
as water supplies within low to moderately developed areas. All the other water supplies in Chatham have a WSIV designation indicating moderately to highly developed watersheds. The source location indicates where the
surface water intakes are located in each water supply: in streams, large multi-purpose impoundments (Class 3), or
small water supply impoundments (Class 1).
The North Carolina Division of Environmental Health, Public Water Supply (PWS) Section uses the Source Water
Assessment Program (SWAP) to assess the all the public water supplies in the state. The SWAP assesses the
susceptibility of drinking water supplies to contamination, and provides a sound basis for planning future source
water protection strategies.
Susceptibility determination for each public water supply (PWS) intake is based on two key components; a
contaminant rating and an inherent vulnerability rating. Inherent vulnerability refers to the physical characteristics
and existing conditions of the watershed or aquifer. For a PWS to be determined “susceptible,” a potential
contaminant source must be present and the existing conditions of the PWS intake location must be such that a
water supply could become contaminated. Thus the susceptibility of a public water supply is based on an “inherent
vulnerability rating” and a “contaminant rating.”
The inherent vulnerability of surface water intakes is determined based on evaluation of the following factors:




Watershed Classification
Intake Location
Treatment Plant Raw Water Quality Data (turbidity, total coliform)
Watershed Characteristic Evaluation of average annual precipitation, land slope, land use and cover, and
groundwater contribution
The contaminant rating is based on an evaluation of the density of potential sources of contamination, their
relative risk potential to cause contamination, and their proximity to the water supply intake within the delineated
assessment area.
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The determination of susceptibility for each public water supply intake is based on combining the results of the
inherent vulnerability rating and the contaminant rating for each intake (NC SWAP Plan). SWAP results for PWS
can be obtained by visiting NC DENR Division of Environmental Health - Public Water Supply Section website:
http://swap.deh.enr.state.nc.us/swap/pages/swp.htm.
Table ? Surface Water Classifications and SWAP results for Water Supplies in Chatham County
The Siler City Reservoir has a better “Moderate” rating for all three categories compared to the “Higher” ratings for
the other water supplies in Chatham County due primarily to it’s less developed watershed and to the lower
vulnerability for inherent risk ascribed to a Class 1 and 2 source intakes. Direct stream intakes are considered the
highest vulnerability. The inherent vulnerability ratings for intake location are based on differences between the
reaction time for a water treatment plant in the case of a contamination event or spill in a stream versus an
impoundment and include the allowable activities on surface water impoundments (NC SWAP Plan).
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JORDAN LAKE RESERVOIR
Figure ? Jordan Lake and Surrounding Counties
B. Everett Jordan Lake is a multipurpose reservoir.
Construction on the dam started in 1967 and filling
was completed in 1982. As seen in Figure 1, the dam
is located on the Haw River just downstream of the
confluence of the Haw and New Hope Rivers, with
most of the Lake's storage in the New Hope basin.
Ninty percent of the annual inflow to the lake comes
from the Haw River.
The Lake is designed to provide for water supply,
recreation, flood control, fish and wildlife
management, and low-flow augmentation. Jordan
Lake is estimated to be able to furnish
approximately 100 million gallons per day (MGD)
during most of the severest droughts. Storage and
releases for flow augmentation are provided in
addition to storage for the 100 MGD water supply.
Withdrawals from the water supply storage pool
should have no impact on the low-flow
augmentation storage pool.
The State of North Carolina has been assigned the use of the entire water supply storage in Jordan Lake. The NC
Environmental Management Commission (EMC) has the authority to allocate to local governments any water
supply storage held in the Jordan Lake reservoirs. The EMC adopted an administrative rule requiring applicants for
a water supply allocation from Jordan Lake to provide information describing their current water supply sources,
projected water needs and alternative water. Allocations fall into two categories. Level I allocations are made
based on 20-year water need projections and when withdrawals are planned to begin within five years of receiving
the allocation. Level II allocations are made based on longer-term needs of up to 30 years.
Initial allocations of water supply from Jordan Lake were made in 1988. Currently, 44 percent of the water supply
pool is allocated. Allocations are actually a percentage of the water supply pool and not a rate of withdrawal. For
convenience allocations are frequently expressed in MGD, since 100 percent of water supply storage has an
estimated safe yield of 100 MGD.
Round 4 of the Jordan Lake Water Supply Allocation process began in November of 2009. This round is expected
to end in March 2013. The progress of this round can be viewed at Division of Water Quality website:
http://www.ncwater.org/Permits_and_Registration/Jordan_Lake_Water_Supply_Allocation.
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Figure ? Map depicting proposed Jordan Lake Water Sharing Agreements
A Jordan Lake Regional Water Supply Partnership was created in 2009 by jurisdictions and water systems in the
Triangle region with the primary purpose of jointly planning for the expanded use of available water supply in
Jordan Lake. Chatham County and the Town of Pittsboro participate along with 10 other counties and
municipalities in this partnership. For more information about this partnership visit the website
http://www.jordanlakepartnership.org/.
Jordan Lake has been consistently rated as eutrophic or hyper-eutrophic since its impoundment. “Eutrophic” is an
over-abundance of nutrients in the lake, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, which may result in algal blooms and
poor water quality. Nutrients make their way to the lake from sources such as wastewater discharges, rainfall
runoff from agriculture and stormwater runoff from new and existing developed lands throughout the watershed.
Excessive nutrient inputs drive excessive growth of microscopic algae, which imparts a greenish, murky appearance
to the water, causes taste and odor problems in potable water and robs the water of oxygen, stressing or killing
fish and other aquatic life. Excess nutrients also favor the growth of undesirable algae that does not support the
food chain and can release toxins into the water. While not necessarily making the lake unfit for fishing, swimming
or drinking uses, excess nutrients impact these uses and undesirable algae are present in the lake.
The Environmental Management Commission (EMC) designated the reservoir a Nutrient Sensitive Water (NSW)
the year of its impoundment and imposed phosphorus limits on wastewater dischargers. The lake did not respond
to these controls and in 2002, the EMC determined that the Upper New Hope arm was impaired after it exceeded
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the state’s chlorophyll-a standard. The rest of the lake exceeded the standard in 2006. The Haw River arm also
exceeded the pH standard in 2006. Both chlorophyll-a and pH are used as indicators of excess nutrients in
waterbodies.
The B. Everett Jordan Reservoir (Jordan Reservoir) Total Maximum Daily Load was completed in 2009 to fulfill the
state’s Nutrient Sensitive Water (NSW) requirements and a federally mandated TMDL. The Jordan Lake Nutrient
Strategy is designed around nitrogen and phosphorus percent reduction goals for each of the three arms of Jordan
Reservoir. Separate goals were needed for each arm because of the hyrdrologically distinct behavior exhibited by
each arm and the different inputs from each watershed. The strategy targets all of the major nutrient contributors
throughout the watershed. For a complete history and documentation on implementaton of the Jordan Lake
Strategy visit the NC DWQ Planning website: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/wq/ps/nps/jordanlake .
Add information on JL from USGS study, Occurrence of Organic Wastewater Compunds in Selected Surface-Water
Supplies, Triangle Area of North Carolina, 2002-2005.
THE HAW RIVER ABOVE THE BYNUM DAM
Pittsboro is the only municipality in the Haw River watershed that uses the Haw River as its primary source for
drinking water. The town built the current drinking water treatment plant in 1962, with an intake below the old
Bynum mill and it was upgraded in 1974 to meet new EPA regulations and to increase its capacity. Out of concern
about the quality of drinking water obtained from the river, the newly formed Haw River Assembly (HRA) obtained
funding from Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in 1984 to conduct a scientific study of organic chemicals in both the
raw and treated water. The UNC School of Public Health was contracted to conduct chemical analyses of
Pittsboro’s WTP and raw Haw River water. The study found indications of “twelve synthetic organic chemicals in
the raw Haw River water and thirteen in Pittsboro’s drinking water. “ The organic chemicals identified in the
drinking water were all by- products of chlorination disinfection and four of the thirteen identified were
trihalomethanes (TTHMs).
In the mid-1990s, the Pittsboro Treatment plant was again upgraded and the intake was moved upstream to its
current location above the Bynum dam near the 15-501-bridge. High organics in Haw River continued to be a
problem even after this move. The defined WS IV critical area for the Pittsboro Water Supply continues to be
located by the old intake.
In 1998, the EPA tightened standards for TTHMs in public water supplies and gave large water supplier four years
to become compliant. A 2008 EPA Envirofacts on Drinking Water Contaminants states, some people who drink
water-containing TTHMs in excess of the Maximum Contaminant Level over many years may experience problems
with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Pittsboro
residents have been made aware of the problem with their drinking water for several years by the state mandated
warnings of elevated levels of TTHMs that they receive with their water bills.
The Pittsboro Water Supply repeatedly exceeded the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for Total
Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). The North Carolina Public Water Supply issued multiple Notices of Violation (NOVs) and
the Town then notified the public. The Town’s first course of action was to implement an aggressive flushing
campaign, but that did not prevent violations. In June 2009, the primary disinfection process was changed from
chlorine gas to chloramination resulting in a drop in TTHMs, but samples were still above the MCL. In October
2009, operators significantly decreased the amount of chlorine added in the treatment train, along with other
operational and chemical feed adjustments. Since these adjustments, the plant has successfully produced water
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below the MCL for TTHMs. Chloramination is the process that is currently used by Chatham County and many
surrounding water treatment plants.
DWQ has not collected any water quality data to rate the critical area of the drinking supply above the Bynum Dam
on the Haw River. Upstream of the drinking supply the Haw River is impaired due to elevated turbidity levels
TURNER AND SILER CITY RESERVOIRS ON THE ROCKY RIVER
Two impoundments located on the Rocky River serve as drinking supplies for the Town of Siler City and for
southwest Chatham County residents. The Rocky River (upper) reservoir was built in 1934 and the surface area
covers approximately 100 acres. The upper Rocky River reservoir to a point 0.3 miles upstream of the upper
reservoir was included in 2000 in the 303(d) list for impaired biological integrity. The Draft 2010-303(d) list includes
the same segment due to state water quality violations for chlorophyll a. Studies conducted by Division of Water
Quality (DWQ) Intensive Survey Unit in 2003 and 2008 found extremely elevated concentrations of total Kjeldhal
nitrogen and total phosphorus. The survey unit noted from their visits to the reservoir during the summer of 2008,
“Potential sources of nutrient enrichment include non-point source runoff of animal waste from animal operations
in the watershed. On several occasions, cows were observed standing in the lake (pastures extend to the water’s
edge).” In 2008, Secchi depths were less than 1 meter indicating limited water clarity. Similar Secchi depths were
measured in 2003. Elevated turbidity value of 27 NTU (25 NTU state water quality standard) was found in the
upstream region of the lake. Algal blooms were observed in 2008 with 80 percent of the lake wide averages for
chlorophyll a (ranging from 44 to 74 μg/L) being above the state standard of 40 μg/L. The Lake & Reservoir
Assessments: Cape Fear River Basin states, “Use support for the Rocky River Reservoir in 2008 was determined to
be impaired due to state water quality standards violations for chlorophyll a, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen.”
A second reservoir was built just downstream of the Rocky River reservoir in 1965. An expansion of this second
reservoir was completed in 2009 and the reservoir was named the Turner reservoir. Monitoring data has yet to be
collected to determine the status of this expanded reservoir, but expectations are that it is impaired as well. Not
only are the waters just upstream of the Turner Reservoir impaired, but also the water just immediately
downstream of the reservoir to Varnal Creek. This section is impaired for low dissolved oxygen.
The NC Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) plan completed in 2005 indicates that the main causes of
increased nutrients in these reservoirs are urban runoff and agriculture. Potential urban runoff is limited to
primarily to headwater streams in Liberty and Staley that comprise only 2.6% of the watershed (NCEEP report,
2005). According to this report, forestry is the largest landuse in the watershed at 54.2% and agriculture covers
approximately 39.1%. Agricultural lands include crop and animal operations (cattle and poultry). Other potential
sources of nutrients that need to be investigated are biosolid and poultry waste application fields and
contamination from wastewater spray irrigation. Several mills were located historically in the area and thus there
is the also potential for legacy millpond sediments that have been associated with high levels of dissolved nitrogen.
DEEP RIVER
There is no data available for the Deep River water supply critical area. Also no data has been reported for just
upstream of the critical area on the Deep River.
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CAPE FEAR RIVER ABOVE THE BUCKHORN DAM
Progress Energy currently owns buckhorn Dam. Include information on when and why it was built.
The 2005 Cape Fear Basinwide Plan reported that the the Cape Fear River was Fully Supporting in the 2000;
however, the Cape Fear River from confluence of the Haw and Deep Rivers to NC 42 (3.7 miles) is Impaired for
aquatic life because chlorophyll a exceeded the standard in 24 percent of samples at site BA391. Algal blooms have
been common in this segment of the river upstream of Buckhorn Dam and pH levels were commonly elevated at
site BA391 as well. Discharges in the Haw and Deep Rivers, as well as nutrient laden runoff from upstream urban
and agricultural land uses, are contributing nutrients into this slow-moving segment. Algal activity was especially
high during the summer of 2002 when flow was extremely low due to drought conditions. In 2006 the section of
the Cape Fear from a point 0.5 mile upstream of NC Hwy 42 to the Sanford intake that is the critical area for the
water supply behind the Buckhorn Dam was listed on the 303 (d) list as impaired due to high levels of chlorophyll
a.
WATER SUPPLY INFRASTRUCTURE
Seven water systems provide drinking water to residents of Chatham County and the three towns located within
the county. Three of these water systems are operated by Chatham County Public Works: Chatham County North,
Chatham County Southeast, and Chatham County Southwest. Each of the towns within the county also operate
water systems though their Public Works departments. In addition, a small portion of eastern Chatham residents
that are located within Cary town limits and are served by that township.
Insert Map showing Water Supply Systems and Infrastructure
Annually Local Water Supply Plans are submitted to NC Division of Water Resources for each water system by local
governments. These reports include an assessment of water supply needs over a twenty-year period.
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Table ? Water Supplies
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Table ? Public Water Systems current and planned improvements of water supply and wastewater infrastructure
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Figure 1 DWQ Water Quality Ratings for Chatham Streams
REFERENCES
Cape Fear River Basin Ambient Monitoring System Report, January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2008, NCDENR,
DWQ, August 2009, AMS-1
Draft 2010 NC 303 (d) List, NC DWQ Planning Section, March 2010.
Lake & Reservoir Assessments: Cape Fear River Basin, Intensive Survey Unit Environmental Sciences Section DWQ,
June 4, 2009.
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Rocky River Conservation Assessment, Triangle Land Conservancy, December 2009.
Upper Rocky River Local Watershed Plan Detailed Assessment and Targeting of Management Report, prepared for
NCEEP, Tetra Tech, June 2005.
Upper Rocky River Local Watershed Plan Preliminary Findings Report, prepared for NCEEP, Tetra Tech, February
2005.
North Carolina’s Source Water Assessment Program Plan, NC DENR Division of Environmental Health - Public Water
Supply Section, October 21, 1999
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APPENDIX –CHATHAM COUNTY STREAMS
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